Teenager gets probation for setting fire to local business

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Teenager gets probation for setting fire to local business

Published Friday January 15th, 2010

Lawyer says he doesn't want to see another ending

A1By DON MACPHERSON

A defence lawyer representing a psychologically troubled youth who helped to

cause a fire that razed a Keswick manufacturing business told a court his client

needs help, not punishment.

Judge n Dickson sentenced the 14-year-old boy Thursday to 24 months

of probation on a Sept. 11 charge of arson.

The teen - who can't be identified as per the provisions of the Youth Criminal

Justice Act - previously pleaded guilty for his role in setting a fire that

destroyed Oak Ridge Manufacturing Inc., a cabinet and countertop manufacturer.

The loss to the company is estimated at $1 million.

A 13-year-old male has pleaded not guilty and his trial is scheduled for April

16.

Crown prosecutor Murray told the court Thursday that statements obtained

from the two teens indicate that they went to the Oak Ridge premises with

another boy to play.

Murray said one of them lit a small pile of sawdust on fire, which ended up

spreading after they horsed around on the site.

The prosecutor said the boy's pre-sentence report didn't paint a pretty picture

of his behaviour.

He said the boy takes his anger out on his mother, throwing things, hitting her

and making derogatory comments to her.

" She's scared of him, " Dickson said. " He terrorizes everyone. "

Defence lawyer Doug said the focus shouldn't be on the boy's bad behaviour

and poor impulse control but rather what causes them.

" (He) has severe mental-health issues, " he said. " We shouldn't be punishing him;

we should be looking at how to help him out. "

Among the conditions with which the teen has been diagnosed are autism,

Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit disorder, said.

He compared his client to when she first came into contact with the

courts.

of Moncton died in an Ontario women's prison at the age of 19,

having been transferred into the federal prison system from the New Brunswick

Youth Centre, a youth jail in Miramichi.

It's been contended that the justice system's failure to address 's

mental-health problems led directly to her suicide in prison.

Doug said Thursday that if the justice system doesn't do its utmost to

help the teen now, it could be looking at a similarly dark outcome.

The defence lawyer said the boy has been behaving better over the past month,

especially since he's now working with a mentor, as arranged by the Department

of Social Development.

The boy's mother said the last time her son attacked her was about a month ago,

and up until that time, his angry outbursts at home were happening almost

nightly.

When Dickson asked the boy why he gets so angry, the teen answered, " I don't

know. I just get mad. "

Among the conditions of the teen's probation are that he's to perform 25 hours

of community service work, attend school and follow the rules there, observe a 9

p.m.-7 a.m. curfew, attend the mental-health clinic for assessment and

treatment, follow any other counselling as recommended by his youth worker, have

no contact with the other two boys he was with at the time of the offence and

stay away from the premises of Oak Ridge Manufacturing.